Install BroadWorks Server License before Upgrade Major Release

Introduction

This document describes how to install the Cisco BroadWorks server local license before upgrading BroadWorks server to a newer major software release.

Prerequisites

Cisco recommends that you have knowledge of these topics:

• Cisco BroadWorks System Administrator privilege.
• Cisco BroadWorks System upgrade maintenance, update license privilege.

Requirements

The are no specific requirement for this document.

Components Used

This document is not restricted to special software and hardware version.

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, ensure that you understand the potential impact of any command. 

Background Information

Historically before you upgrade a BroadWorks server from a previous major server release to a newer major server release, there are three methods to install the target server release license. 

In the recent CiscoBroadWorks Server maintenance document, the advice to to use the install-license.pl script. However, the R25/R26 maintenance document CiscoBroadWorks Software Management Guide does not make it clear how exactly to execute this install-license.pl script.  This document provides detailed explanation on how to execute install-license.pl to prepare a BroadWorks server upgrade to a newer major release and also share the two other methods to achieve this.

Symptoms of a Failed License Installation

• You upload the new license to BroadWorks server and execute the install-license.pl <newLicenseFilename>.zip.  This command was failed and receive "Invalid license signature" warning.

  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$ /usr/local/broadworks/bw_base/bin/install-license.pl /bw/install/license_CXXXXX_<Customer_Name>_R26.0_20260930.zip
  Unable to install license: Invalid license signature

• Compare the BroadWorks Server UUID or fingerprint, if this BroadWorks server is a BroadWorks NFM server, with the new license to verify a match.

• Check the lmLog<timestamp>.txt covering the time of the failure license installation to identify this is an error code 2 difficulty.

  • bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$ bwTrafficParser -m "Invalid license signature" lmLog2026.10.01-00.01.07.txt
    ...<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><broadworks xmlns="http://schema.broadsoft.com/LicenseManager" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><ImportLicenseResponse><error>true</error><errorInfo><code>2</code><msg>Invalid license signature</msg></errorInfo><restartRequired>false</restartRequired></ImportLicenseResponse></broadworks>...

• The previous information is adequate for a conclusion that the root cause of the difficulty is the target BroadWorks server license valid for newer major BroadWorks server release, is not supported by the current BroadWorks server release binary directoryinstall-license.pl script.

Required Information for TAC to Triage

Here is the information Technical Assistance Center (TAC) needs in order to triage:

• The current BroadWorks Server tech-support file
• The /var/broadworks/logs/lmd/lmLog<timestamp>.txt covering this failure install-license.pl execution, which had been denied by cause 'Invalid license signature' and error code 2.
• The new license file which did not pass the install-license.pl execution.
• The session output log covering this BroadWorks server BW_CLI command 'qversions'
       

Configuration Step to Mitigate This Issue

• You can change to the upgrade target new release BroadWorks server binary directory as bwadmin user, to execute the install-license.pl script for the target new BroadWorks server release license file.

  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$ cd /usr/local/broadworks/<target new release>/bin/
  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$ ./install-license.pl /bw/install/license_CXXXXX_<Customer_Name>_R26.0_20260930.zip
  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$

• Alternatively, you can upgrade the BroadWorks server to the target new BroadWorks server release first.  The upgrade action changes the /usr/local/broadworks/bw_base symbol link to the new BroadWorks server release directory.  Next you execute the install-license.pl to install the new BroadWorks server release license file.

• There is a third option to install new BroadWorks server license file in the same time during you install the new BroadWorks server binary release stage. That is to provide the directory and file name of the new license file during the interactive installation, or if you execute an non-interactive installation with the installation.conf file which has a directive LICENSE_FILE defines the new license location and file name.

  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$ grep LICENSE_FILE /var/broadworks/installation.conf
  LICENSE_FILE=/tmp/license_CXXXXX_CustomerName10022026_20261002.zip
  bwadmin@BW_Server_hostname$

Related Information

•  Cisco BroadWorks Software Management Guide 

Revision History

Revision	Publish Date	Comments
1.0	19-Oct-2026	Initial Release